He was the son of Lucília do Carmo (one of the greatest fadistas of the 20th century) and Alfredo de Almeida, (bookseller and later entrepreneur in the hotel business). His parents were also the owners of the famous Lisbon restaurant "O Faia". One might say that Carlos do Carmo was raised in an artistic atmosphere. His parents' house in the old part of the city, Bairro Alto, was a place where intelectuals and artists gathered, some of the more prominent figures of Lisbon society at that time. He studied the hotel business in Switzerland. In 1964, Carlos do Carmo began one of the most solid careers in the artistic panorama of Portugal...
When he returned to Lisbon from Switzerland he entered the hotel business with his parents, and took the reigns of "Casa de Fado" which they had founded, using all of the ideas and techniques that he learned in Switzerland. After the death of his father, Carlos do Carmo became the owner, and thanks to his merits and good luck, made "Casa de Fado" the best in Lisbon. But music was ever present in him, and he recorded one of his mother's songs, "Loucura", at the request of Mário Simões almost on a lark. The success of this experience was so great that the destiny of Carlos do Carmo could not possibly be delayed a minute more. The opportunity to record his first album came quickly, and in 1964 he recorded " Estranha Forma de Vida". His way of singing was different, his personal style unmistakable, he was the one that fado was waiting for to carry on the tradition, and there was a certainty that a new star had been born. From that moment on, success was part of his life, each and every fado that he sang, every album he recorded, every performance he gave, corresponded with yet another hit. All of his albums up to the present day have been cherished and the sales of his television performances are now part of fado history, recognized for their high quality, and for the inovative spirit that each one transmits. "Por morrer uma andorinha", "Duas lágrimas de orvalho", "Bairro Alto", "Gaivota",
"Canoas do Tejo", "Os Putos", "Lisboa Menina e Moça" e "Estrela da Tarde", are some of the biggest hits of his career. Because of a desire to maintain a purely artistic career for such a long time, his artistic references include quite diverse artists as Frank Sinatra, Jaques Brel, Elis Regina and José Afonso. The international circulation of his work was driven, as he always likes to affirm, "By those Portuguese who leave my country in search of a better life, and who have passed my works in to the hands of entrepreneurs and cultural agents of the various countries where they reside".
He has sung on 5 continents, his performances at the "Olympia" in paris, the opera houses of Frankfurt and Wiesbaden, the Canecão in Rio de Janeiro, the "Savoy" in Helsinki, the Auditório Nacional in madrid, the Teatro da Rainha in Haia, the theater of Saint Petersburgh, the "Place des Arts" in Montreal, the Tivoli in Copenhagen, and the Memorial da América latina in São Paulo are some of the finest moments of his career. His performances throughout Portugal at the Mosteiro dos
Jerónimos, the Fundação Gulbenkian, the Coliseu dos Recreios, the Casino do Estoril,
and at the Centro Cultural de Belém make a difference in the cultural level of the country.
The number of honours and awards he has received to this day are innumerable, from being named an honorary citizen of the city of Rio De Janeiro, member of the honor of Claustro Ibero-Americano das Artes, to the diploma accorded him by the senate of Rhode Island in the U.S. for his contribution to the propagation of Portuguese music, to the golden globe. He also figures as a pioneer in the new Portuguese discography, due to his album "Um Homem no País", the first cd to be edited by an artist in Portugal.
Carlos do Carmo knows the importance of family life, he's been married since 1964 having 3 children, as fruit of this union, one daughter and 2 sons, who maintain a close relationship with him. It's not always easy to juggle life as a family man with the life of a world traveling artist. He persues the realization of this dream, because he considers the union of family to be important. He considers himself the first link in a chain of individual connections. He values being with friends, and enjoys making new friends, maintaining an high level of quality in his artistic life.
Carlos do Carmo is an artist who has certainly already attained some of his goals, aiming for a public who holds him in high esteem, great respect, apreciating in him not only his qualities as a musician, but also those of an artist interested in the evolution of the music of his homeland, and who believes in the evolution of man as a creature who can embrace the whole world in it's diversity.
Nasceu Assim Cresceu Assim
Carlos do Carmo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Talvez o pai um decadente aristocrata
Talvez lhe dessem à nascença amor e fel
Talvez crescesse aos tropeções na vida ingrata
Talvez o tenham educado sem maneiras
Entre desordens, navalhadas e paixões
Talvez ouvisse vendavais e bebedeiras
Talvez ouvisse vendavais e bebedeiras
E as violências que rasgavam corações
Talvez ardesse vagamente em várias chamas
Talvez a história fosse ainda mais bizarra
No desamparo teve sempre duas almas
Que se chamavam a viola e a guitarra
Pois junto delas já talvez o reconheçam
Talvez recusem dar-lhe o nome de enjeitado
E mesmo aqueles que não cantam não esqueçam
Nasceu assim, cresceu assim, chama-se fado
E mesmo aqueles que não cantam não esqueçam
Nasceu assim, cresceu assim, chama-se fado
The lyrics of Carlos do Carmo's song "Nasceu Assim Cresceu Assim" tell the story of someone who perhaps was born into a difficult life. The opening lines suggest that the person's mother may have been a prostitute and the father a decadent aristocrat. The phrase "lhe dessem à nascença amor e fel" (gave him love and bitterness at birth) suggests that the person's upbringing was not easy.
As the song continues, we learn that this person may have grown up without manners, in a world of disorder and violence. The references to "vendavais e bebedeiras" (storms and drunkenness) and "violências que rasgavam corações" (violence that tore hearts apart) emphasize the harshness of this person's environment.
However, amidst this chaos, there were two constants: the viola and the guitar, two traditional instruments used in fado music. These instruments are said to have been this person's "two souls" and may have provided a source of comfort and escape.
The final lines of the song assert that even those who do not sing fado music should remember that this person was born into it and grew up with it. The phrase "Nasceu assim, cresceu assim, chama-se fado" (Born like this, grew up like this, it's called fado) suggests that the person's life was steeped in the culture and traditions of fado and that this is a defining aspect of their identity.
Line by Line Meaning
Talvez a mãe fosse rameira de bordel
Perhaps his mother was a brothel prostitute
Talvez o pai um decadente aristocrata
Perhaps his father was a declining aristocrat
Talvez lhe dessem à nascença amor e fel
Maybe they gave him love and sorrow at birth
Talvez crescesse aos tropeções na vida ingrata
Maybe he grew up struggling in a harsh life
Talvez o tenham educado sem maneiras
Maybe he was raised without proper manners
Entre desordens, navalhadas e paixões
Amidst chaos, stabbings and passions
Talvez ouvisse vendavais e bebedeiras
Perhaps he listened to storms and drunkenness
E as violências que rasgavam corações
And the violence that tore hearts apart
Talvez ardesse vagamente em várias chamas
Maybe he burned dimly in various flames
Talvez a história fosse ainda mais bizarra
Perhaps the story was even more bizarre
No desamparo teve sempre duas almas
In distress, he always had two souls
Que se chamavam a viola e a guitarra
Called the viola and guitar
Pois junto delas já talvez o reconheçam
For with them, he is maybe recognized
Talvez recusem dar-lhe o nome de enjeitado
Perhaps they refuse to call him abandoned
E mesmo aqueles que não cantam não esqueçam
And even those who don't sing, don't forget
Nasceu assim, cresceu assim, chama-se fado
Born like this, grew like this, called fado
E mesmo aqueles que não cantam não esqueçam
And even those who don't sing, don't forget
Nasceu assim, cresceu assim, chama-se fado
Born like this, grew like this, called fado
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind